“I Shall Stand Against Them” & Three Haikus

I shall stand against them, whether I be like
the willow, or the ancient oak, trembling
or impersonally strong, I shall stand against them.
The sun may shine upon my corpse, and cause
the rot to quicken, but in my memory they
sing, and I shall stand again.

The swarm is all about me, about my head, about my soul,
about my home and nation;
all is torn asunder by their grimy little hands,
stained with dirt of bitterness, they go in to the heap,
a trembling tower of crumbling corpses,
and to collapse,
the wind it blows, and howls about
their hollow skulls.

Haiku 1

Her image is cast,
marble with her tears for him.
Downcast eyes divine.

Haiku 2

Skin like pearl and silk,
feather drops in to the blood.
Her eyes now open.